


Maybe, Probably

by Myriad_Nice



Series: NaNoWriMo 2016 (late in the game, I know) [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, M/M, Niall is a roommate, Zayn is an RA
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-07-27 20:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16226864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myriad_Nice/pseuds/Myriad_Nice
Summary: Zayn is an RA and is filling in for another building where he bumps into an undergrad that mistakes him for his roommate's boyfriend. There might be a chance of awkwardness. Maybe, probably.College AU with Narry roommates and Zayn as an RA





	1. Chapter 1

Zayn pulled his student ID out of his pocket and put it against the little gray square. It beeped and the door unlocked. Zayn slid through the tiny gap between the door and the frame and made his way up to the second floor of the building. He was a Resident Assistant for the dorm down the hill, but had to complete some of the last minute check outs for his friend that worked on this floor. Gigi, the RA of the floor, had to go home a day early since her parents were flying out to Germany the following day. So Zayn was being a good friend and filling in her shoes. It didn't matter that he could barely fill out a form properly and didn't have any real inclination to spend another couple hours checking out dirty dorm room after dirty dorm room, but if it meant he would be one step closer to getting into her pants, it would be worth it.

He tugged his beanie down over his ears as he walked down the hall. The majority of slips on the doors had been filled out, both residents checked out with a signature and date scrawled in messy cursive. Zayn got about halfway down the hall when he noticed a dorm room without either signature on it. He knocked on the door, three simple sequential knocks. He waited for an answer, pausing before saying, "RA."

He didn't hear any movement behind the door, so he pulled out the key he was given. He put it in the lock and turned it to the left, the dead bolt sliding back into the wooden door. He pushed it in, eyes dropped in case there was anything going on that he didn't want to see. There's been more than one occasion where he accidentally walked in on open containers of alcohol or people covering their privates at the last minute even though he previously announced his presence. He learned to duck his eyes a lot as an RA.

The room was empty. It looked like the majority of the clothes were packed and gone. Only a few t-shirts were left lying around, hanging off the freshly made bed. The TVs were cleared and it seemed that both were gone, they just forget to sign out. Zayn sighed. He checked the outlets behind the beds and desks, making sure that the two desk lamps in the room were unplugged. The third lamp in the corner of the room was plugged into a spare outlet, so Zayn yanked out the plug, mumbling under his breath. He checked the drawers for alcohol or drugs, luckily finding nothing in them. He didn't want to get strapped with paperwork because Gigi couldn't scare her residents into not smoking pot.

Zayn glanced around the room one more time to make sure there weren't any glaring holes in the walls before exiting. He turned the key in the lock, the lead pipe thunking into the wooden frame with finality. Zayn continued down the hallway, the remainder of the dorms seemed to be closed with signatures on the door. Maybe he would have some luck after all.

His shoulders slumped when he reached the very end of the hall. Of course the last door in the hall would have another blank sheet of paper. Zayn rolled up his sleeves, pushing the waffle-print shirt to his elbows. His tattoos twitched as he knocked on the door. He waited for a minute, about to say the that he was an RA, when the door swung open and a blond-haired boy popped into the door frame. He had on a sweater and black pants. Zayn paused for a second, mouth slant.

The boy smiled at him, speaking before Zayn could get a word in edgewise. "Come on in! Are ya lookin' for 'arry? Wow. I didn't think you'd be able to get in on the floor. We're high tech around here. Did summon let you in? No matter!" The boy turned around, leaving room for Zayn to follow in behind him. Zayn did so with measured step. "Sit down on the bed. Please make yourself comfy."

Zayn glanced at the boy, his eyes squinted. He didn't know what the kid wanted from him and he didn't know which question to answer first; the boy fired off at least five in the past thirty seconds and his head was spinning with possible responses.

"Sorry, have you been waiting around long? 'arry should be back relatively soon, but I'm sure you don't mind that. That man'll drive ya crazy, I'll tell ya."

Zayn chuckled, rubbing his left arm absentmindedly.

"Huh." Niall flopped onto the bed across the room. "I didn't think you would be so quiet. But then again 'arry's a chatty fella."

"You mean he can get a word in your guy's conversations?"

Niall cracked up. His head swung back and then his whole body seemed to rock forward, his left foot banging into the ground as he let out a roar of laughter. He snorted a second later, following with smaller, more humorous snorts to accompany them.

Zayn laughed along, eying the boy with a certain amount of restraint. He didn't know why this boy had invited him into the room. They had no way of knowing each other, and now he was laughing rather loudly at his lame comment. Zayn had no idea what to do or how he was going to get out of this conversation.

The blond boy stood up, swiping his arm to collect a swab of drool that collected at the corner of his mouth. The huge smile took up the majority of his face, happiness following him around like an aura as he moved across the room to Zayn. He threw an arm around the darker lad, sitting down beside him. "Ya know what? I like you. 'm Niall."

He nodded. "Zayn."

Niall gripped Zayn's shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. "It's good ta meet ya. I hope I'll be seeing you around more."

Zayn laughed, his mouth crooked into a nervous smile. "Me too. You're definitely... something."

"Ugh. Love it." Niall laughed again, clapping him on the back once more. "Where are ya from, anyway?"

"Bradford."

"Oh shit. I thought 'arry said you were from London or something, but you don't sound quite posh enough for that."

"Where are you from?" Zayn asked. He heard plenty of Irish accents in his time. There was an Irish girl that lived on his floor, but he thought it would be polite to ask.

"Mulingar! I've been there since I was about ten or so. We lived thirty miles north before that in another small town. Ireland - if you can't tell by the accent." He let out another raucous laugh. "I enjoy school here though. Wouldn't trade you brits for ta life of me."

Zayn give him another smile, shying away from Niall's touch. The kid was getting a little too liberal with his shoulder. There wasn't a lot of meat to Zayn's body and he didn't need this guy bruising what little amount of soft muscle he had.

"I'm sure Ireland is nice though. I bet you miss your family."

"Oh yeah." Niall leaned away from him, turning his head to look at a pile of pictures that were hap-hazardously posted to the wall by the bed across the room. "Lovely, lovely place. But I get to go there for the breaks, so it's not like I'm completely without. My buddies and I party enough to make it feel like I go to school there." He laughed, but it was softer this time. "Are you attending college or anything?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm in my sophomore year."

"Oh, I'm finishing up my second semester. I started a semester late because we had to sort out the funds for me to go here - all that fun stuff, but I was lucky that 'arry had a bed available. Great guy really. You snagged a good one."

Zayn blinked. "I- what?"

"Harry? You and Harry? Are-Are you guys not dating?" Niall turned back to him, his eyebrows furrowed. His hand grew limp on Zayn's stiff shoulder.

"I've never met the guy!"

"Oh." Niall removed his hand entirely. He stood up, pacing towards his bed. He smoothed his palms over the thighs of his jeans repeatedly. "I'm sorry. There's been a mistake."

"It's okay. I'm filling in for Gigi, your RA. She left early so I'm just checking the rooms that she hadn't gotten to." Zayn tried to smile, one corner of his mouth faltering. "Don't take it too hard."

"I'm sorry. He said that his boyfriend was stopping by and when you knocked I just figured it would be him since, ya know, the whole campus is pretty much empty. Well, compared to usual, it is." He turned back towards Zayn, a nervous smile on his face. "I'm sorry, truly."

"No worries. At first I thought you were hitting on me. I got a little worried." Zayn let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, that'd be crazy." Niall chuckled along, his pitch high and smile tight. "What's the chances of two random roommates being gay, amiright?"

Zayn glanced at the posters covering the wall. Boybands, musicians, golfers, rock and rollers covering both sides of the room. Niall's collection of photos of friends back home. Harry, the assumed roommate, had scattered pictures of what looked like family. It didn't really seem to go beyond that.

"Right." Zayn dragged his eyes from the shirtless picture of a men's underwear ad lying on the desk next to him. "Since you're here, just make sure you unplug everything before you go. And make sure you keep the heat on - we can't have the pipe explode, all right?"

"Yessir." His voice turned formal, his back straight.

Zayn stood up. "All right. I'll see you around then. Have a good vacation and safe travels, all right?"

"Tanks, you too."

Zayn gave him a nod as he exited the door. He shook his head, the beanie rising. He tugged it down then continued down the hall.

"Ey!" Niall popped out in the hallway, his cheeks visibly red from halfway down the hall. "Would it be a problem if I wanted to hit on you?"

Zayn turned back to look at him. He looped a finger on the belt loop, a smirk turning up. "Depends. How much time before your roommate comes back?"

"At least twenty minutes." He seemed out of breath, like his heart stopped working and he had to manually push the words out.

"I can work with that."

The blond grew red, standing sheepishly at the end of the hall. Zayn made his way back with added energy. When you only had twenty minutes, there's really no time to spare.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't really know all that much about Gigi, so if this characterization is off, then feel free to let me know, but I'm not sure if it's truly that deep.

Zayn got out of the car and went around to open the door for Gigi. She stepped out his 1995 Toyota Camry. It was the best that his parents could afford to send with him, especially since they were all hurting from Doniya's med school bills.

"Thanks, again, for coming out to dinner with me." Zayn smiled at her, striding beside her towards the door of the pizza place. He shoved his hands in his coat pocket, protecting them against the nippy February air.

"Thanks, again, for inviting me." Her cheeks were reddened from the air and Zayn wanted to put his hands over them to keep her warm.

"Of course. I figured I needed a break from my residents and maybe you were feeling the same way."

Gigi laughed. "Are those guys still making turd bombs in the bathroom?"

Zayn rolled his eyes. Two of his residents had made a game out of digging their poop out of the toilets and throwing them over the stall at the other unsuspecting person. After a couple notes left by the custodians, Zayn figured out why shit droplets covered the bathroom floor. He had to call his floor to a meeting; there was no way that he would allow this to continue, especially if they thought the wrong person was in the other stall.

"Thankfully not." Zayn sighed. "I didn't think it would have to take a threat of moving out to get them not to touch their own shit, but..." His voice trailed off as he pulled open the door to Prezzo's, a nice little restaurant a few kilometers off campus. Just inside the door, there was a family of six seated with a buzzer and one other couple along the opposite wall.

Gigi approached the hostess, her voice perky. "We have two."

"All right." The hostess, a smaller girl with dark brown hair pulled back to expose her rounded, pale face. "It'll be about a twenty minute wait. Is that all right?"

Gigi looked back briefly at Zayn, who nodded. Gigi nodded at the hostess. "Yes."

They took the buzzer and stood near the other couple along the wall. They continued their conversation about RA stuff on campus. One of their fellow RAs, Tyler, was trying to organize some sort of sports competition between the buildings on their part of campus, and Zayn wasn't too fond of the idea.

"He just thinks all of his ideas are revolutionary." Zayn slumped against the wall, his light eyes boring a hole into Gigi's face. "Thinking he should get a handshake for every minor contribution an' all that. I just think he's a prick about the whole process."

"I don't know." Gigi drawled before giggling. "Maybe you're just upset because he never involves you in the planning."

"The one time I did offer a contribution, he didn't appreciate it." Zayn smirked. Gigi's eyes had a calming effect on him; being usually nervous, the soft green irises eased the tightness in his stomach. The way she looked at him made his hope that the same could be said for her.

"Well, if I'm remembering correct, didn't you suggest vandalism?" She crossed her arms over her chest but leaned closer.

"I might have offered to supply spray paint to the students, yeah." Zayn ducked his eyes and Gigi let out a big laugh. He looked at her and couldn't help but pull a bashful smile. "But it could have been a good learning opportunity; show the kids how to spray paint under bridges and not get caught."

"I can't believe they let you be an RA." She shook her head, letting out another soft laugh. "I think they just let you in because your good looks could persuade the students to chill the fuck out."

"Well, clearly, they didn't account for the shit-slingers." Zayn smirked as Gigi's laughter grew louder. She had called him good looking. Maybe this could turn out to be more than a coworker-friend meal after all.

The buzzer went off in Gigi's hand.

"Guess we're up." Gigi raised it to his eye level and then led the way to the hostess. The hostess dropped the buzzer behind the counter and then escorted them to a booth towards the back half of the restaurant. They passed a couple booths along the way, but the place was definitely less busy than it tended to run on a Thursday night.

Zayn slid into the side of the booth with its back to the kitchen while Gigi slid into the opposite side, her back to the front door.

The hostess tossed the menus down in the middle of the booth. "Your waiter should be right with you to get your drink order."

Gigi widened her eyes at Zayn, bringing a menu closer to her.

Zayn gave a small laugh and grabbed the other menu. His heart melted a little. Sometimes he felt they were most connected when they didn't have to say a word to convey that someone was a jackass.

"Did you want to share a pizza or just get individual calzones?" Gigi glanced up from the menu, her green eyes glowing under the dim lighting.

"Uh." Zayn's gaze shifted to the menu. "Either way is okay."

Gigi made a small noise, but Zayn focused on the drink portion of the menu. He could go for a pint or something that would wash away easy. Although, maybe he should stay sober just because he the driver. He didn't want her to think that he was being irresponsible or anything like that.

"Welcome to Prezzo's!" The voice made Zayn's ears perk up. He focused on his menu, trying to place how he knew that accent. "My name is Niall and- oh, hey Gigi!"

Zayn looked up at that. Gigi gave the waiter a warm smile. She turned to Zayn and said, "Z, this is my resident, Niall."

Zayn turned to the waiter. It was the blond bloke that he had met with before the winter holidays. His collar got hot. His voice was tight. "Hi, Niall."

"Zayn's the RA over at Dorchester, you know, the building right down the hill." Gigi beamed.

"Nice to meet ya, mate." Niall gave a bright smile, one that Zayn could barely return. "What can I getcha t' drink?"

"Can I just have a coffee- black?" Gigi responded. She turned to Zayn.

"I'll have a Coke then." Zayn looked briefly as Niall wrote down their orders but looked away as soon as his blue eyes landed on him. He wasn't ashamed, exactly, but he was definitely given a phone number that he definitely never texted.

"Great. I'll be back in a jiff with those." Niall turned back to the kitchen.

"I didn't know he worked here." Gigi glanced after him, smiling as she pulled the menu a little closer to her. "He's a sweet kid. He was really homesick the first few weeks of school."

"Oh really?" The corners to Zayn's tugged down. It was hard to concentrate on the small font all of a sudden. "Is he doing okay right now?"

"Yeah." Gigi placed a finger on her menu, trailing across the list of ingredients. "He really likes his roommate; they get along great."

"Harry?" Zayn asked.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" Her forehead scrunched as she looked at him.

"Oh, uh," Zayn stalled for a second. He needed something quick. "I think I remember him from one of the events that we co-hosted? I don't know." Zayn laughed, slightly forced and nervous. "Don't you have like three Harrys on your floor?"

"I mean, I guess. He does have nice green eyes." She shrugged, her gaze drifting back to the menu. "Did you want to split some 'za, Z?"

Zayn's shoulders slumped forward, the anxiety lifted from his shoulders. "Sure, what kind of toppings do you want?"

"Are veggies okay?" She pointed at the menu. "It says that have artichoke hearts and olives. I think that sounds pretty good."

"Yeah, that sounds fine. Do you like chicken?"

"Half okay?"

"You think you'll eat half of the pizza?" He teased.

She challenged him with her gaze. "Is that really a question?"

"Okay." Zayn shruggeded his shoulders. "If I have to take home pizza with me, I just want to make sure it has chicken on it." He stuck his tongue out at her.

Gigi rolled her eyes. "No one wants to see your nasty tongue."

"Don't speak for others." Zayn winked at her and she rolled her eyes again, giving a small laugh.

"Here's your coffee." Niall stood at the head of the table. He placed the white cup to the right of Gigi. "The sugar and half-in-half are by the ketchup." He pointed to the end other end of the table. "And here is your Co-"

"Jesus!" Zayn leaped out of the booth as the Coke spilled over the table, not quick enough to avoid it landing on his lap. Luckily, he was wearing dark jeans, but there was still a little bit of a stain and it made his crotch feel heavy.

"I'm so sorry," Niall picked up the cup. "I'll get some napkins for the table and for your clothes."

"Don't worry about it." Zayn gave Gigi a nod. "I'm just going to dry off for a second in the bathroom."

"Take your time," Gigi said to Zayn. She turned to Niall. "Don't worry about it, I'll just use the napkins that came with our silverware."

Zayn didn't hear Niall's reply as he made his way to the bathroom towards the back of the restaurant. It was beside the kitchen and he had to keep his temper under control so no one could hear him curse out the night. Because of course he had his drink spilled on him and of course his hook-up was his waiter and of course Gigi would try and make the situation better. It was clear when it was just him and Gigi; he could look at her eyes and her soft lips and know what he wanted and who he wanted. But when Niall showed up... green turned into blue and the pale, smooth skin that he had felt that winter afternoon rushing back. Maybe it was an exceptional orgasm, but something about Niall had him all confused.

He stood under the hand dryer, trying to get the wet patch to disappear. The hot air was uncomfortable and did little to lessen the dampness of his clothes. He ran a hand through his hair, annoyance taking over his demeanor.

The door opened and he stepped out of the airway of the dryer. He put his dry hands into the stifling air and glanced at the doorway. Niall stood with his back pressed against the wooden door, a sheepish look on his face.

"Hey, I'm sor-"

"It's fine." Zayn stepped under the air flow again.

"I didn't do it on purpose." Niall remained by the door, his hands wringing the hem of his work shirt.

"I believe you." Zayn tried not to let the irritation permeate his tone.

Niall took a deep breath, but his voice seemed restricted of air. "Is this, uh, a date?"

Zayn closed his eyes. "Not for lack of trying."

"Oh." Niall's voice grew small. His shoes squeaked as his weight shifted on the linoleum tiles. "Is that why you didn't text me?" His voice grew louder as Zayn hit the button for hot air again. "I thought I had given you the wrong number for like two weeks."

"Sorry, 'm just bad at textin'." Zayn focused on the machine in front of him, his eyes focused on the red, bolded warning sign, and not on the boy riddled with caution behind him.

"I don't believe that, but I'll just go." Niall shuffled to pull open the door.

"Wait." Zayn stepped away from the air dryer, the whirring noise still loud as he turned to Niall. The boy looked caught, his blue eyes bulging as Zayn approached him. They stood an arm-length apart, but Niall still had his back pressed on the door. "I'm sorry, Niall. I should have sent you something."

" 's fine, really." Niall gave him a smile; it didn't connect to his eyes.

"Don't lie to me." Zayn shook his head. He took a step closer. "You don't have to forgive me."

"It's fine, Zayn." Niall bumped into the door, startled, his eyes latched onto Zayn's approaching form.

Zayn lifted a hand to cup Niall's cheek, forcing Niall's blue eyes to gaze right into his own. He searched for something, a hint for what he was doing was okay. Niall blinked at him, his eyelids going heavy as he sunk into Zayn's touch. Zayn leaned forward and pressed his lips against Niall's.

It was a quick peck, innocent. Niall let out a small hum as Zayn pulled away.

"You should probably get back to your date." Niall's voice was calm, concealing whatever he actually meant under them.

"Not a date, just friends," Zayn corrected. "And you probably shouldn't be spilling drinks on your customers. You know, they tip you."

"What do you call this then?" Niall raised his eyebrows, his voice soft yet expectant.

Zayn skimmed his thumb over Niall's cheek, his eyes traveling from Niall's eyes to his lips. "I'm not sure." He ran a tongue over his lower lip. "Can't we just see where this goes?"

"It went somewhere in December and then you dropped off." Niall's lips pressed tight, his gaze untrusting. He moved Zayn's hand away. "I have to get back to work."

Zayn latched onto Niall's hand and pulled himself closer to the younger guy. Niall opened his mouth to protest, and Zayn leaned in to kiss him. The two met in a messy middle where Zayn pulled Niall's hips closer to him while Niall's free hand tangled in Zayn's hair. Their teeth clashed as they figured out a rhythm.

Zayn's could feel his heart in his ears; his nose full of lemon and hints of smoke that clung to Niall's uniform shirt. He missed Niall's touch, the rough way Niall pulled on his hair, the easy way their bodies fit together, the way Niall wasted no time before shoving his tongue into Zayn's mouth. He missed his presence; this boisterous kid who was too far from home.

They broke apart, each breathing a little heavier than before.

"Text me." Niall breathed, looking Zayn in the eye.

"I will."

And he would.

Maybe, probably.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter and gave kudos! I'm glad you enjoyed this :) If you feel inclined, let me know what you want to see happen in the future. Also, would you rather have Harry's boyfriend be Liam, Louis, or some combination of the two? Because I want to see how I can get them all in the mix.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in 2016 but never really published it before. I think it'd be fun to continue, but not sure what direction it should go or if people would be interested. If you want more, comment and I'll see what I can do B)


End file.
